Asters and Warhammers
by FreeformFay72
Summary: Andy, Ria, Jamie and Petunia: Fate has chosen them for a quest that will change their lives, or end it. A quest to fight some unknown monster brings them together and tears them apart. What will happen to them next? Started in Percy Jackson One-Shots, follow some new heroes on their journey.
1. Prologue

Andrew "Andy" Gallus, son of Ceres, soldier of the third cohort, was constantly suffering nightmares—ever since the first of June. He struggled to maintain his composure and continue on with his duties. It all felt a little futile, considering his dreams were telling him how he would die.

Marianne "Ria" Dagris was ready for a decent fight, and finding one in her foster home. She dealt a deceptively strong blow to her opponent's arm, then silently cursed herself when she heard the bone breaking. After that, the weird volunteer at the foster home told her that she was going to a new home.

Petunia "Nia" Green stared at her friend, Grady, hoping he really did know how to protect her, and that she would have the strength to return his protection and care. He was mapping out a possible route for them to take to this camp he had been telling her about while they sat on a bench in the graveyard they had just buried her father in. She hoped she never had to meet her jerk of a mother.

Jamie sighed and looked at the sky. He felt like he hadn't even broken a sweat and he'd been practicing for a couple hours. He was ready for his lessons with Percy to resume. He was ready for some sort of change. Anything would do. He might even welcome another war if it meant an end to his boredom and loneliness.

None of them realized how different their lives would become that summer.


	2. Counterstrike

**AN: Hey all. So, as stated in the description of this story, this was started in the one-shots story I have. However, because I then realized how much I liked these characters, they have their own story. Some of it is already told, but this is going to give the whole story as best as I can tell it. There are four main characters and you'll see things from each point of view. The first name said in the chapter is going to be the person whose view you're reading, unless stated otherwise.**

 **If you came here from the One-Shots, then you should know that I am expanding on the chapters posted before. This one has a little more in the first part. Anyway, I encourage you to read through them again to at least refresh your memory. Ria was created as a result from request by Perseus Jackson007, and was the first character to catch my interest enough to have a second story for.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Marianne—ugh did she hate that name—Dagris, Ria for short and because her name was so awful, looked around at her cabin with nothing short of despair. She had to stay with these idiots instead of the smart kids? The Athena cabin had been so cool! And she really loved being able to talk to Malcolm and some of the others about battle strategy. Now she was stuck amongst the rowdy and troublesome Hermes kids. Sure, they were strategically valuable when it came to battles, war, and war preparations. But living with them?

"I'll get you a welcome pack, that'll give you a spare shirt at least. Just tell Cassie what you don't have and she'll make sure you get everything that you need." The leader of the Hermes Cabin, Connor, stayed by the stairs.

"Cassie?"

"Me," One of the girls waved, "I"m Cassie."

"Ria," She answered, critically examining the girl who was coming toward her. She could easily overpower this Cassie, her left arm didn't seem to move. She could take advantage of the favoring of her right side and get a blow with her current weapon of a sledgehammer and the girl would be incapacitated.

Cassie gave a warm smile, "The only bunks taken are the ones that actually have pillows on them, so take your pick from the others."

Ria sighed and tossed her stuff onto a bunk, "When can I get out of this place and into a cooler cabin?"

"Considering we're the only ones with AC aside from the Hepheastus cabin, I'm pretty sure we are the cooler cabin," Cassie responded easily, "I understand your eagerness to be in a cabin that is geared more toward your own academic prowess and inclinations toward battle, however until you're claimed, you'll be staying here. It isn't so bad, and since you're over thirteen you shouldn't have to wait long before getting claimed. Until then, you have a place here."

Ria leaned her hammer against the bunk, "So you're the intelligence of the cabin?"

"I wouldn't say that." She tugged on her ponytail, "I'm more of a…mother hen with a high IQ. Besides, I have to be more intelligent in how I battle my opponents since my arm can become useless at any given time. Nerve damage. Don't think I didn't see you notice it."

Ria flinched, "Right." Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"That's Alice, and that's Julie. Watch your stuff around them, they will try to take it and frankly, I don't have time to return every little thing that gets stolen. You had the tour?"

Ria nodded a little, now unsure of her own assessment.

"Good. Let's find you an opponent." Cassie strapped on a belt with twin scabbards, strangely short and thin for swords, but too long to be for knives. Cassie noticed the quizzical glance and drew one of them. "Skeans, Irish blades. Long story. Let's go."

Ria hurried to grab her sledgehammer and followed. "Um…"

"I think Jamie might be good," Cassie said, more to herself than anyone else. "He's probably already at the arena."

Ria followed Cassie back to the arena she had been shown earlier.

One demigod was there, fighting a dummy half-heartedly.

The dummy squeaked and hid behind her shield as the other demigod struck at her.

Ria wasn't impressed.

Until that same, lazy demigod suddenly stepped with high speed and managed to dodge to another side of his opponent and remove the shield from her arm, disarm her, and give her three blows with the practice sword in the space of what felt like a second.

The demigod scoffed slightly. "Put your shield on correctly next time, and don't think that hiding behind a shield will do you any good." The voice was distinctly male.

"That's Jamie, he's one of our best fighters," Cassie explained in a whisper.

Ria grinned. Not bad at all. She could really grow to like it here.

—~~—

Ria's claiming had been…bloody, to say the least. Lots of monsters.

But being claimed by Mars, at the Greek camp and receiving her spiked Hammer, an imperial gold weapon with a spike jutting out one face, perfectly flat on the other—maximum damage ability—was a little bit of a roller coaster. She thought for sure that she would be in the Athena cabin. Had even silently picked out her bunk.

Now she was sitting in the Aphrodite cabin, having to get her hair cut and styled because of some nasty stuff that got in it.

"Can I dye it?" Lacy asked, "I'm really good."

"No."

"Oh come on! You're going over to Camp Jupiter next week, they're no fun there. You might need something to brighten your day. You aren't too scared, are you?"

"Battle tactics are my life, your tactic is weak." Ria did find herself at least looking at the available colors, "I better still be able to get my hair out of my way."

Lacy examined her hair, "Not going to lie, it might be best if you get a pixie cut. Otherwise it's going to look a little…lopsided."

Ria curled her lip, "Great."

"But, on the bright side, I can make it short enough where shouldn't be in your way. And you can use headbands too." Lacy was going for positive.

Vince, Ria's half-brother on the Greek side, nudged her, "You have to say it's okay."

Ria groaned, "Fine, go ahead and do color too. Might serve as a tactical advantage if my hair is a distracting color."

"Sweet! You have coloring that works fantastically with any other color."

"Fine, just hurry. I have battle practice and I'm totally going to crush it." And them.

Lacy worked quickly, and got Ria out of the frilly cabin within half an hour.

Just in time for her to meet the rest of her cabin at the Arena.

She couldn't wait for a real fight.

—~~—

Ria played with her earring, "See them yet?"

"Just spotted them," Cassie replied, waving from her spot on top of the bench. Then she hopped down. "They're on their way over. Got your bags?"

"Yeah. Why did we fly again?"

"We had to leave after the vans had, you because you were in the infirmary after fracturing your leg, me because I had to finish judging a competition. We both had to get here, and here we are." Cassie lifted her bag and put it on her left shoulder, then slid her right arm into the strap.

Favoring her left arm again, Ria noted, definitely sure that she could use it to a distinct advantage. Not that she needed to destroy the girl.

Not yet.

"How are your dreams?" Cassie asked, peeking through the crowd.

Ria sighed, "Fine."

Cassie nodded, then frowned, "Someone's behind us. Been following us since the layover in Texas. Don't look. We'll take care of it outside. The Romans have our weapons."

Ria nodded. That was one good thing about Cassie, she had a weirdo-radar. Like a sixth sense.

The romans reached them, introducing themselves as Andy Gallus (son of Ceres), Shelly McClintick (daughter of Apollo), and Jade Karrington (daughter of Mercury) all of the third cohort.

Cassie was friendly, but curt, and quickly moved everyone toward the exit, "We should get moving. I don't like being exposed and weaponless."

Andy nodded sharply, understanding the nod to the side that Cassie gave.

Ria started thinking about strategy for fighting this stalker. Grab her hammer, confront person/monster, attack, give the others time to grab their weapons. She was the youngest, but that would also make her less likely to be a threat in an enemy's mind, if that enemy wasn't a monster. She was also fast and strong. She was fairly certain she could take out an enemy on her own.

They got to the van, and Jade and Andy hopped into the front seats while Shelly handed Ria and Cassie their weapons.

Ria picked up her bag again.

Shelly got into the van.

That's when it blew up.

Ria and Cassie got pushed back by the blast, but they didn't have any time to think.

The person following them attacked.

Ria blocked his first blow, which would have hurt Cassie badly, and slid her hammer along the blade of his sword, and then twisted herself so that she could crush his wrist.

Elbow to the stomach, duck out of the way, turn to—

Ria fell to the ground, having tripped over the curb.

Cassie slid in with her tiny swords or knives or whatever they were, cutting the guy's other arm, then she did this spinning jump onto the hood of the car, sheathed her knives, and then leapt, using all of her weight behind her fist and knocked him on in the head. Following through with a kick to the head, to fully knock him out.

"Ria, get up." Cassie pulled her up with her good arm, "We have to get the others out of the van."

Ria cursed and they hurried to get the other demigods out or at least make sure that they were okay.

Cassie treated the cuts and burns as best she could, "We need to move. The police will think we caused this. Andy? You okay to drag that jerk?"

Andy nodded, and grabbed the guy.

"Ria, help Shelly. I've got Jade."

Ria put her arm around Shelly, supporting the older girl. How did the guy plant a bomb as well as follow them through airport? "Cassie—"

"I know. Couldn't have been in two places at once," Cassie interrupted, "We're still in trouble. Just keep moving. Andy, burner phone?"

He paused to pull it out and toss it to her.

"What are you doing? Cell phones are dangerous," Ria hissed.

"We need help. I'm calling Rome." Cassie glanced around, "There, head for that van."

"The minivan?"

"Yes."

Ria shook her head, she was starting to think it would be easier to fight whatever was about to happen.

They got to the van and Cassie managed to pick the lock, open it and unlock the other doors, "Get it. I've got to hotwire it."

"How do you know how to do that?"

"It's pretty much a crime to be a daughter of Hermes and not be able to pick locks and hotwire cars," Cassie replied distracted.

Ria helped Shelly and Jade into the van, then helped Andy haul their attacker into the van as well. It made sense now, to have gotten into the van, that she knew that Cassie could hotwire it. Their escape would be easier and they wouldn't be trying to run with four injured people.

"Frank, it's Cassie Dellaro. There was an incident. We've stolen a van and are—" The van lurched forward as Cassie whipped out of the parking space, "en route, but we could definitely use backup. Andy probably has a concussion, Shelly has some bad burns, as does Jade, who also has a pretty bad concussion. We have a prisoner."

Ria shook her head, their situation sounded crazy. There wasn't a plan she could make for this. It wasn't like fighting. She was running from the fight.

Not that her first fight since getting her new weapon had been especially grand. She had tripped, an eventuality she hadn't accounted for, and a mistake she wouldn't make again. Besides, her move of crushing the guy's wrist had allowed the older girl to knock him out without risk of getting stabbed. Cassie wasn't especially strong, and it had provided the proper distraction for her to calculate the exact way to knock the guy out.

It was strategically sound.

Though Ria really hated that she hadn't been the one to take the guy out.

"You have a cut on your leg." Cassie was driving with ferocity

"It'll heal," Ria grumbled, running a hand through her pixie cut. She didn't want to admit that she had made a mistake, tripping. She also didn't want to admit that she loved the way Lacy had done her hair. It looked like fire. The edges of her hair were red, then they became orange and gave way to yellow. And whatever that hair stuff was that she had been instructed to use left her hair all soft and fluffy.

Andy frowned out the back window, "Here's hoping Rome is fast in responding."


	3. Third Cohort

Andy Gallus, son of Ceres, glared at the rogue demigod. There wasn't much else he could do while they were driving like crazy—hopefully toward some much needed backup.

"There's another van joining the ones behind us," Jade called out, her voice a little shaky. She had Cassie Dellaro's scarf wrapped tightly around her head as a bandage.

He hated seeing his fellow legionnaires injured as they were, and berated himself for their wounds.

Shelly was barely conscious, in so much pain from the burns that the exploding van had bestowed upon her that she kept drifting in and out of focus.

Ria, who had just arrived in California with Cassie, silently gripped a war-hammer, glaring out the windshield. "We're surrounded, Cassie."

"I can see that," Cassie muttered through her teeth. "Hang on!" She jerked the wheel and they all jerked to the side as she turned at way too high of a speed.

Jade squeaked slightly, then peeked out the back window again. "Did you just…"

"Turn down a one-way, yeah." She turned sharply again and stomped on the gas.

Shelly whimpered something in Latin about crazy Greeks.

Andy pushed himself up to look out the windshield, then behind them. "They're gaining!"

"Bump!"

Andy dropped and grabbed onto the seat.

They must have gone over a curb or something!

"What are you doing?" Ria screeched.

"Getting some distance."

"By going through a field?!"

Cassie didn't respond. "Everyone get ready to get off. Andy, you good to grab our prisoner?"

"Yeah," he responded, worried about the intelligence of the decision.

"Jade, you'll have to help Shelly while Ria and I hold them off." Cassie seemed calm. Surprisingly calm.

Andy knew it was her first summer at Camp Half-blood, but she already seemed like a seasoned warrior. He hoped Ria was as good as Cassie seemed to think.

"Ready?"

They all got ready to disembark in a hurry.

"Go!" She jerked them to a stop and they all hurried to pile out.

Andy dragged their prisoner out the door and rushed toward Shelly and Jade, unwilling to leave without them at least.

Jade seemed a little more coherent, her adrenaline up, no doubt.

Shelly still seemed dazed.

Together they hurried away from the van.

Andy kept glancing back.

Ria and Cassie fought side-by-side, Ria's hammer dealing severe damage and Cassie's dual-blades flashing with deadly speed.

Shelly and Jade stopped as well to look back.

"We can't leave them," Shelly muttered.

Andy knew what she meant. It felt like it went against everything that had ever been drilled into their brains—leaving comrades to fight alone. But it was the way of the Greeks…

He was about to hand the prisoner over to the girls to go help Cassie and Ria when Camp Jupiter vans screeched in and a dozen or so legionnaires darted into formation around Ria and Cassie, while five or six came over to help him, Shelly, and Jade.

Frank Zhang was in the lead, and Jason was in the group of fighters.

Jade looked at Andy, free from helping Shelly. "Cassie really saved our bacon, didn't she?"

He slowly nodded, looking back at both girls. "They both did."

—~~—

Andy hurried toward the infirmary with the load of medical supplies from town. If he got back in time, he could be in the group that surveys the property they would be renovating for that girl. With his father's background in construction and his knowledge of structure it allowed him to go on many of the excursions out of camp to properties that they took back from monsters, which so far had amounted to two properties.

He stood as still as possible, a good soldier, as he waited for them to sign the paper saying they got the delivery.

Finally, the slow poke finished.

He did his best to not run back to New Rome, drop off the paper, and then back to the Field of Mars to try and get on the team going to the renovation property.

When he did, he was surprised to see the slight form of the Greek girl, Cassie, standing beside Reyna and Frank. Normally when Greeks visited they took on the role of either probatio or legionnaire, depending on the amount of time they had been training and their status at Camp Half-Blood. So what was the girl doing standing beside the praetors?

Andy fell into place with his cohort, standing at attention beside Shelly, "What's the Greek doing up there?"

"Her property we're looking at. If she were Roman, she would definitely be in the first or second cohort." Shelly rolled her eyes. "She isn't even strong, or a good fighter, but she's up there."

Andy frowned, "Saved our hides, though. If it hadn't been for her those rogue half-bloods would have killed us."

"Ria did more than she did." Shelly glanced down the line to the girl that had been accepted by their cohort.

"You just don't like her because she's up there," Andy whispered, "She got us out of there. She called backup for us. She got us here, and knocked out the guy who had attacked us in the first place. Yeah, Ria helped, but Ria also almost got killed when she tripped."

"You just think that greacus is cute."

Andy rolled his eyes. "No, I don't." He thought she was beautiful, but he liked someone else.

"Really?"

"Why does it matter? Jealous?" He teased, trying to figure out what Shelly's problem was.

She scoffed, "Hardly."

Their cohort leader glared back at them.

"Lesbianhonest—" Jade hissed from Shelly's other side, quoting Pitch Perfect.

Andy snorted, then choked back his laughter.

Shelly turned bright red, "Shut up. That's so not what's going on."

As a daughter of Apollo, the god of truth, she was a terrible liar.

Andy's laughter died.

Jade's smile died, and she turned her face away.

"Andy, we'll need you on this trip." Reyna was assembling a group to go, oblivious—or purposefully ignorant—to their whispers.

Andy stepped out of formation and joined the group that was forming.

It was a small group, their elite construction workers, meaning it was an honor to be picked for the team.

"You have the address, today we're assessing the situation. Cassie and I will go ahead, you all grab what you need to check things over and meet us there," Reyna instructed. She was all business, as if she didn't even notice that Cassie was standing there and chatting with Frank.

Andy nudged Paul—a son of Vulcan from the second cohort. "Hey sparky."

"Woody. How's the new girl?"

"Ria? Fierce. Intelligent. Still looking for a good fight. The war games will help her, I think." Andy frowned. "She's different, that one. Rare weapon for a Roman. We'll see what the gods have in store for her."

"Shelly seemed to think she was amazing, didn't have much of an opinion on the Greek."

"Yeah…" Andy didn't think it was a wise choice to tell him that Shelly had a crush on the Greek girl. He also didn't think it was a good idea to tell anyone about the dream he had had last night about Ria, and a monster. A big monster.

Or the fact that he knew he would die to save her from it.

—~~—

He heaved a sigh, half-cursing the waning light. Sure, it meant that he was that much closer to being able to collapse into his bunk, but it also meant he'd have to be around Shelly, who was an absolute pain right now. She didn't want to face the truth, and it was causing him no end of misery because apparently he was the only outlet she had for her own misery.

She was absolutely, head-over-heels for the daughter of Hermes that had saved their lives.

Which wouldn't have been a problem if Ria hadn't bluntly said,

"Um, considering she has a boyfriend, I don't think you're her type. She's super-traditional anyway."

Andy could have kindly strangled her right then and there. He couldn't believe that a girl who was so precise and tactful in battle could be so tactless. Well, he could actually. She always seemed to be looking for a fight of some sort, and was reluctant to comply with orders. He'd heard countless mutters from the leaders of his cohort asking if they were sure she wasn't greek.

She was more comfortable around him, Jade, and Shelly—even joking around with them at times. She had the potential to be a great legionnaire. In fact, she seemed to be on the fast track there.

He stopped in his tracks, looking around at everyone else who was enjoying their leisure time.

Over half of his cohort was out here seeking refuge from Shelly.

"You look like you just lost," Ria spoke, startling him.

He looked at her then shrugged. "I see our cohort is hiding from Shelly."

"Oh, yeah. Cassie sort of confirmed that she has a boyfriend," Ria said, frowning at the ground. "Feel bad for her, Shelly sort of unleashed her wrath on her."

"Oh?" Andy felt a little tick of anxiety. Cassie was obviously friends with Reyna, and if Shelly went off with Reyna around…

"Yeah, Cassie just looked confused more than anything. I told her it was nothing and that Shelly was working through some stuff." Ria glanced at him, as if looking for approval that she had said the right thing.

He was surprised, but he nodded. "Good. How long until the Greeks leave?"

"Um, another week. But I doubt it'll be over then. It might get worse."

He sighed. "I know. She's unstable."

"Who? Shelly?" Jade joined them.

They both nodded.

"Tell me about it," She muttered, folding her arms. "It's my fault, if I hadn't teased her we probably wouldn't be having these problems. Or maybe it's Ria's fault for fracturing her leg and coming later than the others."

Ria shrugged. "Some would say that things happen for a reason. Like me kicking your butt on the 're too open. You should bring your shield up a little higher and your grip on your sword needs to choke up a little."

"Choke…up…?" Jade's eyes glazed slightly.

Ria rolled her eyes. "Like you would on a baseball bat? Move your hand up slightly on the pommel of your sword it will help you have better control and make your moves more effective."

"Oh…"

Andy folded his arms. "Since when do you try to help us get better?"

"Since I realized that my life might very well rest in you bozos' hands." Ria snorted as she dropped to sit on the grass.

Andy dropped next to her, still not ready to go back to their cohort.

Jade plopped down with them a little more gracefully. "Alright, so, we need a plan to distract Shelly."

"A long-term plan," Andy added.

Ria made a face. "Don't look at me. I plan fights, not distractions."

"But can't distractions be integral parts of fighting?"

"Completely different monster than what we're battling," She said firmly. "We need a people-person."

Andy nodded slowly. "So we're doomed."


	4. Flower Child

Petunia stabbed and stabbed, even as the monster turned to green dust. Then she just knelt there and cried, too stressed to think about moving on. Going further. She didn't even know where she was going, and now her guide was dead. Her stupidly brave Satyr protector, dead about a mile back to try and give her time to get away from the creature.

She was afraid of what would happen if she went further, and if her father's warnings when she was young were anything to go by she wouldn't be getting any assistance from her mother, who viewed her as a mistake. Yeah, the stupid goddess had decided a little late that having a daughter was a bad idea.

Whoops.

Her father had refused to the very end to divulge the name of her mother.

Fantastic.

Grady, the satyr that just died, had said he had some ideas about who her mother might have been. Might be. But now he was dead.

And if Petunia saw one more skeleton or zombie, she was going to just let it kill her. She would be screaming, but she would just stop fighting.

She finally looked up, right into a flower. Anemones, so deep a purple as if Aphrodites tears had just fallen to the earth.

She picked one, trying to remember what her books said about the meaning. Something about good luck...and protection against evil.

Gods knew she needed all the help she could get, so picked a second and tucked it into her shoe laces, then stood up and looked around. She had to get to this camp. She had to be close to that safe place that Grady had told her of. Her life had seemed to be looking up since she had met Grady. He had told her about the happy outcome from other half-bloods that he had brought to camp. A daughter of Demeter who was going to college in Minnesota. Two brothers, sons of Hermes, one of which was going to college in Michigan. The other which was a counselor at this camp that Grady was leading her to. Another daughter of Hermes. A son of Athena.

Overall, he had led twelve halfbloods safely to the camp.

So, logically, he died while bringing the thirteenth. On a friday. On the sixth day, of the sixth month, at 6 minutes past 6 in the morning.

And Nia's watch would forever remind her of that, having broken the moment he died as she hit the cement.

She started walking, taking a sort of eastern direction as her direction of choice. She had no idea where she was actually supposed to go, but she had to keep moving. Just like she had to keep moving, even after her father had died. Just like she had had to keep moving despite being put in that stupid foster home.

She picked some bell flowers as she passed them, even though they were just symbolic of unchanging love, honesty, and obedience. Her father used to tell her the story of Venus' looking glass, how the flowers were born of the shattering of her mirror when Cupid tried to retrieve it from a shepherd.

A sob escaped her as she tripped, aggravated the cuts, scrapes, and bruises. When she looked back on the path that she had chosen to take, she could see flowers ahead of her that hadn't been there before.

She limped forward until she got to the tree that the flowers had been by.

Queen Anne's Lace...but it was again about ten feet ahead of her.

Nia swallowed, despite feeling like she hadn't had a drink of water in eight years, and started limping forward again. Queen Anne's Lace...signifies complexity and delicateness...and is symbolic of...

She caught her breath as she leaned against an obliging sugar maple. She knew. She knew that she knew what the flowers symbolized. Why couldn't she remember?

A monster jumped at her from out of what seemed to be thin air.

She screamed and stabbed. And stabbed.

The monster screeched and dissipated.

Nia gagged, then pushed herself forward. She had to keep moving. She had to get to safety. For Grady. For her father. To prove to her mother that she wasn't a mistake. To live to an older age and open a flower shop, where she would make meaningful and gorgeous bouquets, and do floral arrangements for weddings. She might even dabble in edible flowers made of chocolate, or sugar, or maybe fruit. Frosting. Yogurt.

Then ahead of her, there was a bunch of Queen Anne's Lace.

And beyond that there were kids with weapons and armor, in a group formation.

She remembered what it symbolized, feeling like an idiot for not being able to remember.

Sanctuary.

—~~—

After some discussion and her silently gathering some flowers while they debated whether or not she could be a monster while their weapons were pointed at her, the halfbloods had decided that one would escort her to a place they called the "Big House" while the rest continued with what was—apparently—a patrol.

Petunia licked her lips, twirling the stem of a bellflower between her fingers.

The halfblood that was escorting her to some place called the Big House kept glancing at her and looking a little...confused. The others had looked confused that she had stopped to pick flowers.

They didn't understand.

She didn't need them to understand.

"What was your name again?"

"Petunia. Nia for short."

"Right, well, how much do you know about who you are?"

"Everything. Well, except which goddess is my mom. Grady said he had his suspicions about who she is, but he never told me." She picked an Aster. Tiny beginnings from which great things proceed.

"And the flowers?"

"Every flower has a meaning, some from times of ancient Greece, and some more recent. Victorian ages were important times for flowers, the meanings were designated and fleshed out. I take flowers as signs. It's no different than people who believe that breaking a mirror is…" Huh…bellflowers were said to have been born from the shards of a broken mirror. "Bad example. But it's like stepping on the cracks, or black cats. It's my own personal superstition."

"You're superstitious?" He asked. She?

Petunia really wasn't sure and frankly she was afraid to ask. You never knew how sensitive people were. "Um, yeah. A little."

"What do you think is the most powerful flower?" What had s/he said their name was?

"I think it depends on the person. For me…rosemary. Not the flower, the herb. It means remembrance. There are others that are good as well, but that's always seemed most powerful for me."

"What about me? What would you say my flower or plant would be?"

"Lotus," Nia said, almost without thinking about it. "Flower of mystery, truth, purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth."

The halfblood looked at her with interest. "That's an interesting choice. Why'd you pick it?"

"Gut feeling," She shrugged. "You seem like a person who likes mystery. So, who's your parent?"

"Hebe, goddess of youth."

"And what was your name again?"

"Jamie," Jamie answered in a completely unhelpful way. He or she pointed to the house they were coming upon. "This is the Big House, I'll introduce you to Chiron. You said that your satyr died?"

"Grady, yeah. He was defending me. I should have protected him better." Nia tucked the flowers into her pocket. She felt nauseous. If she had been stronger, Grady would be alive.

"They know the dangers of their job." Jamie put a hand on Nia's shoulder in a reassuring way. "I'm sure he thought you were worth the sacrifice."

"He'll have to be planted…" Nia said softly, looking at the ground. "I was still under attack when he died."

"I'll talk to Grover about a recovery mission." Jamie gently urged Nia on. "You're safe now and I'm sure you'll be claimed quickly. You give off some…pretty specific vibes."

"I do?" Nia's heart jumped.

"Yeah," Jamie shrugged. "I would say Demeter."

She knew it wasn't right. "Oh, I don't think so."

Jamie gave her a curious look. "So sure?"

"Yeah…I'm sure. It doesn't sound right." She rubbed her arms, then followed Jamie up the porch steps and into the house.

There was a man in the wheelchair sitting by a couch, talking to two teenage guys. The man looked young, but also impossibly old. His eyes tired looking.

The teenage boys, one tall and blond that looked like a surfer put on nurse's shirt and one short with dark hair.

The shorter one looked at her.

She took a step back, her heart starting to race. This place couldn't be safe.

He frowned. "You…don't…you…" He stepped back. "You're a daughter of…you shouldn't exist…"

Jamie put a protective hand on Nia's shoulder. "Nico, kind of takes one to know one."

"You don't understand." Nico looked nervous.

"Nico, she's unclaimed. Don't jump to conclusions. You're scaring her." The blond took Nico's hand.

"Mr. Di Angelo, if you have a theory, we can hear it but until she's claimed we have no reason to worry." The man in the wheelchair rolled himself forward. "What is your name?"

"Petunia Green," She answered, almost in a whisper.

"She's a daughter of Persephone." Nico's sentence seemed to make the light leave the room.

The man in the chair, he must have been Chiron, looked like he dreaded the very idea. "Let us pray you're wrong."


	5. Bodyguard

Jamie led the new girl, Petunia, to a bed in the Hermes' cabin. "They'll take care of you here. You okay? Nico was kind of intense."

"Are you sure I'm safe here?" the girl asked in a whisper. She looked haunted, and if Nico was right, there was good reason to believe that she actually had been haunted.

"We'll keep you safe. Nico too. He's a good kid." Jamie looked down at the flowers tucked into Nia's shoelaces. "What kind of flowers are those?"

"Anemones, for good luck and protection against evil. Said to have been made by the falling of Aphrodite's tears."

"Earlier you said that a broken mirror was a bad example of superstition?"

"Bellflowers were born from a broken mirror, I believe that was Venus's mirror. I can't remember right now." She sat down, exhausted, on the bunk.

Jamie glanced at the Hermes' girls. "You should try to rest. Just, word to the wise, keep things you value extra close to you. If it goes missing, tell Connor. He's your cabin leader. Cassie Dellaro is also someone you can trust, but she's in New Rome right now. I have to get back to my cabin."

Nia nodded, then held out a flower.

Jamie hesitated then took it. "What is it?"

"It's just an aster. It symbolizes tiny beginnings from which great things proceed."

Jamie straightened up. "Like meeting someone new?"

She nodded.

"Okay. Seriously, try to get some rest. I'll find you later and answer any questions you might have." Jamie looked at the flower in his hand. He turned and walked back toward the stairs, forcing himself not to look back at Nia. The girl was just a slip of a figure, but something about her vulnerability and quirkiness was endearing.

He shook his head. He couldn't be thinking about that, she didn't need that. She needed stability and safety.

He paused once he was outside of the Hermes cabin, looking around. Camp was bustling. Connor was organizing some sort of party for the week after next and the Athena and Ares cabins were recruiting cabins for capture the flag.

Mitchell gently punched Jamie's arm. "Dude, who was the girl?"

"Petunia Green. Nico thinks she's a daughter of Persephone. Trouble is brewing," Jamie told him and shrugged a little. "Lacey in your cabin?"

"Yeah, she's getting the stuff ready to redo my hair." He ran a hand through his blue hair. "My roots are starting to show."

"Yeah, my hair is getting a little out of hand. I'm starting to look like a girl." Jamie stretched. "How goes the romance search?"

Mitch shook his head. "I don't know. The attention is kind of cool, but it isn't making things easy. I just…" He glanced around. "I feel like I made a bigger mess than the one I started out with."

Jamie frowned a bit. "Meaning?"

"I don't know. It's even more confusing than before. If I were to ask someone about it, I'm pretty sure they'd say it's a sign that I'm not ready for it. But I'm a son of Aphrodite. How could I not be?" Mitch started walking toward the Aphrodite cabin and Jamie followed.

"That's like asking me why I don't know the secret to youth even though I'm a son of Hebe."

Mitch snorted. "Maybe there's a flower for that."

Jamie smiled. "Heard about that, did you?"

"Flowers in her shoelaces?"

"Anemones, and bellflowers. She gave me an aster." He spun the flower between his fingers like he had seen her do with the bellflowers.

Mitch shook his head. "Weird. Kayla said she seemed to be a little crazy."

"Kayla's crazy, dude. She's not exactly a reliable source for judging crazy." Jamie didn't like that Kayla was already telling people that the girl was crazy.

"True," Mitch confirmed.

Lacey looked up as they came in, she already had her hair-cutting station set up. "Which one is first?"

Mitch jabbed his thumb toward Jamie. "Him. He's just getting a cut."

She nodded and pointed to the chair. "It is pretty long for you."

"I'm starting to look like a girl."

"Something wrong with that?"

"For me, yes." Jamie sat and relaxed.

"He was telling me a bit about the new girl."

"Which one?"

"Petunia Green, she got here about half an hour ago," Jamie told her.

"What's she like?"

Jamie wasn't sure how to answer. "She's quirky. She's a plant person. Scared Nico, who thinks that she's a daughter of Persephone. Which is a truly terrifying prospect if Hades knows."

Lacey nodded. "I'll see if she needs clothes later. Did she have anything?"

"Not really. She had a mostly empty backpack. Ripped open by monsters. She had a sweatshirt, and a couple other things, but I don't really know. I wasn't paying attention to that." He almost winced as she started cutting his hair.

"How short do you want?"

"I don't know. Short?"

She laughed a little, and then kept cutting. "We'll have you human in just a bit. Mitch, can you get the razor, and put the guard on it?"

"Which one?"

"The purple one."

He started working on that. "I think Jamie might have a bit of a crush."

"Ooh, on the new girl? Or on Ria? I saw them talking on a few occasions."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Stop it. Neither. I have no crush on anyone. I'm worried about Petunia. She seems…fragile. I have a bad feeling, and her arrival just seems to have made it grow."

Lacey leaned on his shoulder. "So you like me?"

He stopped himself before words came out.

She threw back her head and started laughing. "That's a no."

Rachel Dare poked her head in. "Jamie, you're needed in the Big House."

Lacey cleared her throat. "Five minutes."

"Make it two." Rachel disappeared.

Mitch handed the razor over to her. "Now would be a good time to start praying, Jamie."

Jamie wondered nervously what could possibly be going on that he was needed.

—~~—

Chiron and Nico were sitting near each other, looking concerned, when Jamie entered the living room.

"You sent for me?" Jamie asked, staying in the doorway.

Chiron beckoned for him to come closer. "It's about Ms. Green."

Jamie felt his heart pound slightly and internally scolded himself. "What about her?"

Chiron looked at Nico.

Nico took a deep breath. "The monsters that she's been facing…the ones she described…they're some of my dad's go-to monsters for when he's feeling especially nasty. I wouldn't be surprised if he also sent the furies after her. It's bad enough that it's summer, but with Petunia appearing…if she does any sort of display of power then my dad will probably make a personal visit to see to her destruction. If that happens, someone needs to be looking out for her."

"Not just that, but…the patrol we sent out found her keeper's body. Seeing something like that could be traumatic for anyone," Grover said as he entered. "Grady has been protecting her for two years. Her father had terminal cancer so he didn't want to pull her away from his side. Almost a month ago, we got word that her father had died and they were heading our way. Something had happened, but Grady was going to report it in person."

Jamie slowly nodded. "Why me?"

"Because you've already started establishing a base with her, and you're shaping up to be one of the best fighters this camp has ever produced. Your training with Percy and Annabeth has progressed very well. And you're diligent."

Jamie frowned a little, feeling slightly panicky at the idea of spending time alone with her. "But…she's already scared, me protecting her would just scare her even more…she's fragile…she shouldn't even really be at camp. Regular training might break her. She's in…serious mourning. I don't know what do with girls!"

"Better figure it out quick, then," Nico said in an almost teasing tone.

Jamie shot him a glare. "She wouldn't be nearly as scared if you hadn't pounced on her the moment she appeared."

Nico glared back. "It was kind of a shock. I never expected to be able to sense who she was a daughter of, or how much my father wanted her gone. Besides, she was scared the moment she saw me. She knew who my father was instinctively. From what she squeaked out about her journey it sounded like she'd faced monster after monster, her own sort of war. She's lost her father and her best friend in the course of one month…" He seemed thoughtful, almost sympathetic.

"Just be her friend, Jamie. Protect her. Look out for her. Talk to her. The rest will sort itself," Chiron finally said. "If you're up to the challenge, that is?"

Jamie sat down, mulling it all over. He'd been so bored this summer, and something different was finally happening. And Petunia wasn't exactly an eye-sore, she was really pretty. Would probably be even prettier if she smiled.

He remembered the solemn look on her face as her gaze had darted to him on their way to the big house. How she had stopped to pick flowers even while outside of camp's borders and with multiple weapons pointed at her. Her rattling off the flower names and symbolism, and guessing that the best flower for him would be the Lotus.

He pulled the flower she had given him out of his pocket. She'd called it an Aster, said it symbolized something about small beginnings that are followed by great things.

Could he really protect her? Did he really have what it takes? Would she be okay with him protecting her?

He remembered how haunted she had seemed, how he had decided she needed safety and stability. He was stable, and could keep her safe…

"Okay."

Chiron nodded slowly. "Let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary around her."

Jamie nodded firmly. That was how he became her personal, secret bodyguard.

—~~—

Jamie looked around nervously but still didn't see her. "She came, right?" He asked himself, running a hand nervously through his hair. It was the night of the party Connor was organizing, and everyone was bathed in the glow of lava from the broken rock wall. It gave the whole party an unreal feeling, and made the fact that everyone was dressed to the nines even more special.

"You look nervous, not a party person?"

He jumped and turned toward her soft voice, relaxing a bit and letting out a nervous laugh. "No, I'm okay with parties."

Petunia just nodded a little and turned to watch everyone. "They all seem pretty excited. I guess I'm not used to being around this many people, or maybe this is a rare occasion here at camp?"

He nodded. "Yeah, um, we don't really get to dress up in anything other than swimsuits or armor."

"Ah," She whispered. She had flowers braided into her hair, which was pulled up with only a few loose strands brushing her shoulders and framing her face. Her dress made her look even smaller.

He felt like a strong breeze might break her. "How's life in the Hermes cabin?" He'd been making a point of hanging out with her, practicing in the arena and archery ranges with her. Just…talking with her. It could get awkward because she was perfectly happy to just enjoy his presence and he would get nervous about being around her, but lately she regarded him with so much kindness in her eyes. Combined with her quirky tendencies of communicating with flowers when there were others around, he hadn't been bored in quite some time.

She had a hint of a smile. "Weird."

He was scrambling to find something to say and was about to ask what kind of flowers she had in her hair, just to hear her talk for a bit, when she turned to him.

"So, who were you looking for? I could help you find her." She had a kind look on her face, even if she still didn't smile.

He wanted to be the one to make her smile again, but he was taken aback at her offering to help him find…her.

She nodded after a moment and looked back over the party. "Right. Mind my own business."

"Uh, no…I…" He was failing. He was failing miserably. "I was looking for…"

She looked at him, innocently.

"Well, you. I didn't want you to be alone." He vowed to punch himself multiple times for adding the last part.

"Oh, that's very kind of you." She gave him that look that was almost a smile but not quite, then continued watching the party.

He mocked himself in his head and glared accusingly at his hands. "So, what kinds of flowers are the ones in your hair?"

"Lily-of-the-valley," She almost whispered.

He waited a moment. "What do they mean?"

"Depends on who you consult, but I always like the meaning 'return of happiness'. I guess…I'm just trying."

"Trying…?"

She nodded as if that was the answer. Their conversations often consisted of vague responses like that. Half the time she would just whisper the name of a flower that she knew she had explained the meaning of before.

But…return of happiness…he wanted to facilitate that. And not just because Chiron had assigned him to protect her. He wanted to be the one who finally made her smile again.

The upbeat song that had been playing ended and Stacy Krivkov from the Apollo cabin came over the speakers. "Next song is a slow dance."

Perfect! He took a breath to ask Petunia to dance.

"Find your special someone." Stacy bounced off the stage toward her boyfriend.

Shoot. Why'd she have to add the last part? Now it would be awkward if he asked Nia to dance.

Nia glanced at him. "Well that makes things awkward for those who don't have someone special. How are friends supposed to dance together now? Or what if siblings wanted to just dance together? Awkward."

He smiled, laughing a bit. "Come on. Let's dance."

"What?" She looked surprised. "But…"

"Come on, you're not going to leave me hanging, are you?" He teased gently. "You should be dancing. So dance with me."

She slowly nodded, and took his hand.

He could just barely make out a blush on her cheeks in the glow of the lava light. He pulled her a little closer than would probably be normal for friends. If anyone wondered though, he could just say it was because she was so small. So small and holdable.

And in the fire-like light, she was probably the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.

Now if he could just pull out that elusive smile of hers…


	6. Sparks

**AN: Okay, this is going to be one of the odd chapters because this was started over in the one-shots and I didn't know how to convert it to another's POV without it losing some detail. So here's Connor's pov and you will never have it ever again. Also, this is officially the shortest chapter thus far. Sorry for the delay in posting.**

Connor was making sure everything was just right, the drinks were still doing fine, the plates of food were still pretty full, and everyone was slow dancing, looking pretty happy. He could see Will and Nico dancing awkwardly, talking more than actually dancing because they were both embarrassed. Percy and Annabeth were in their own world, as usual. Cassie and Malcolm were dancing too. Alice was dancing as well, which was a surprise to Connor, especially when he saw that she was dancing with Ethan from the Tyche cabin.

A successful party.

He grinned and popped a grape into his mouth.

"Not dancing?"

He almost choked, but managed to swallow. "Um, yeah, no. I missed the beginning of the song. If I asked someone to dance now, we'd get a minute together and then…" He shrugged and glanced at Katie.

She looked good. Really good. "So why bother?" She folded her arms.

"No, that's not exactly what I'm saying." He shrugged. "I have the order of the playlist memorized. If I wait another four songs, then a better song will come up that I would want to dance to."

She looked a little surprised, but she smiled a little. "Worth the wait?"

"I think so, but I suppose it's all a matter of opinion."

She glanced up at him, then put a hand to his forehead. "Are you sick? You're being sincere."

He gently swatted her hand away. "No, I'm explaining why I didn't ask you to dance. I should check on the fireworks." He calmly walked away, despite the racing of his heart. He really said that, right?

"Not funny, Stoll!"

"Not joking, Gardner!" He kept walking, his heart in his throat and his stomach flip-flopping as he waited for her to respond.

Nothing for a second..

Then, "Don't you dare be late." It was softer than when she has responded with their usual banter.

He fought a grin, heading over to where the fireworks were set up for the show later tonight.

Nissa was guarding them, talking with one of the guys from the Ares cabin.

"Better not interrupt," He murmured to himself, then glanced toward the party. The slow song had ended. He contemplated what to do now, since the food and drinks were still holding up well and the music was all set up. He wasn't like the Aphrodite kids, wanting to set people up, or like the Apollo kids, dancing until their feet fell off.

He sort of slid back to the sidelines of the dance, surrounded by people and yet…completely alone. Katie was dancing with some of her siblings. His siblings were dancing with other people. Couples were everywhere.

One unassuming couple caught his eye. Jamie and Petunia. He knew they weren't 'together' and that they were still just getting to know each other. They were friends, not a couple. He also knew that Petunia was extremely reserved, frightened, and quite possibly depressed. He was worried about her, but she seemed comfortable after the first week and a half here. She wasn't expressive, and he had never seen her smile. Not even a hint of one.

She was a serious rival to Nico, who was notorious for being moody and grumpy.

Not that he held a candle to her straight-faced composure, not anymore.

Actually…

Connor glanced over at them, smiling a little. He had been worried about Nico, that first winter that Nico had come to camp. Disappearing after learning about his sister's death…and at a time when disappearing was generally equated to betrayal…then when he did come back being so…gloomy. Connor knew he wouldn't be able to reach Nico no matter what. Nico had made that plenty clear before. Maybe Connor should have tried to reach out, but it was probably for the best that he hadn't. Nico was happy now. It had all worked out.

Maybe that's what would happen for Petunia. Maybe it would all work out.

He looked over watching Jamie sort of coax some sort of conversation out of her and then run with it was she responded mutedly.

Then Jamie said something.

Petunia's head tilted back slightly and she laughed.

The ground erupted in delicate white flowers, spreading as far as Connor could see, around campers' feet, over to the rock wall and around it, spreading toward the cabin like a wave.

The power in that seemed to strike everyone, and they looked toward the Demeter kids for an explanation, and toward Connor to see if this was part of the plan.

Nico's smile had died, and he looked like he had all the blood drained from him. "Di immortales…"

Everyone else just sort of shrugged it when Katie faked a smirk and a shrug.

Jamie was staring at the flowers, the smile on his face growing bigger and bigger, oblivious to the obvious terror Nico was feeling.

Petunia was blushing, but she bent at the knee to pick some of the flowers.

Connor slid closer.

"Lily-of-the-valley, right?" Jamie said softly, his voice gentle.

Connor felt like he was intruding, more so than usual.

She nodded.

"So…I guess your happiness really is returning…" Jamie rubbed his neck.

She became a bit more red in the cheeks.

Geez oh pete, just kiss. Connor tried to keep himself from looking like he was listening to their conversation. Something caught his eye, or rather, someone caught his attention as they walked slowly their way.

Nico grabbed Connor's arm. "Get Petunia out of here. I'll talk to my dad."

Connor looked over, his mind screaming because this was the last song before the one he wanted to dance to with Katie.

But there she was. "Follow me," She muttered.

"Jamie, Nia," He hissed toward the two. "Less flowers, more escaping."

Petunia looked up sharply, completely somber and terrified again, and quickly moved toward them.

Jamie's face hardened into a protective look and he quickly brought up the rear of the group.

"If anyone asks, we're running an errand for a surprise later tonight." Connor cracked his knuckles. "Actually, better just leave the lying to me."

"No, me. They'll believe it more," Katie argued in an unusually soft voice.

He glanced at her, then nodded. "Right. Jamie?"

"Gonna tell me why we're…running this errand?"

"Nico's dad decided to visit."

"Couldn't he at least wait until Halloween?" Jamie muttered darkly, grabbing Petunia's hand. "Stay by my side, no matter what happens."

She just nodded a little, glancing at Connor.

Connor just nodded slightly. "Katie?"

"I just need to grab something from the cabin, then I need you to do your…magic trick."

He felt a chill go up his spine. "I've never done it with this many people before."

She watched him a bit as they continued toward her cabin. "Can you still carry other's burdens?"

His eyes widened and he glanced at her, trying to figure out how she knew about that.

"Good, then you can carry some of my strength and energy."

"That's different than sadness, or pain, or anger…" Connor worried.

She shrugged. "Then steal my strength and energy. We need to get to New Rome. And you're our only shot."

He wished he could steal something a lot easier. Like a damn kiss.

Oh to live a simple life.

He frowned, focusing. "It's goign to take a second, get your weapons."

Jamie nodded and dashed off toward the Hermes and Hebe cabin with Petunia.

Katie ran to the Demeter cabin.

Connor settled himself near the hearth. "Please, let me not fail…" He breathed, sensing the line where a portal could be opened easiest. "I never ask for anything, Dad, just let me get them to safety. Let me give them time to succeed in keeping Petunia safe." He then started muttering in latin, the spell he still needed to use to open the Crossroads, a sort of travel unique to Hermes and his children.

Katie was the first one back. She didn't say anything, and was fairly silent when she approached him.

He mostly knew her by the subtle smell of honey and orange blossoms, which was from her favorite lotion.

She gently touched his shoulder, then gave it a little squeeze.

He couldn't bring himself to steal any strength from her.

Jamie and Petunia arrived as he managed to open the portal.

"Grab on," He muttered, clenching his teeth and he fought to keep the portal open. Then he pulled them forward.

And they tumbled onto a battlefield in front of one of the most ruthless fighters in the third cohort.


	7. Quest

Ria frowned at the group that had appeared in the middle of their war games. She had been in the middle of helping her cohort dominate in battle when they sort of stumbled into existence in front of her, and Connor Stoll stumbled and collapsed on the ground. She had had to protect him from her own cohort.

Now they were gathered in the courtyard, talking in a way that must have been aimed to look completely casual.

Ria could see how tense Jamie was. She was used to seeing him completely relaxed, even as he fought. He was one of the demigods that she found challenging in the ring because he was so effortlessly good at fighting. A natural. She had seen him getting one-on-one lessons with Percy—who was well-known as the best sword fighter in Camp Half-blood.

Connor looked half-dead, slowly sipping water from the bottle that Katie had handed him. They had only managed to wake him about five minutes ago, after he'd been out for about twenty minutes. If transporting people did this to him, there must have been an insanely good reason for him to do so.

Katie Gardner stood beside Connor, and watching him with worry. That was new. Normally they couldn't even stand within ten feet of each other, but today she was checking on him and even smoothed his hair a bit.

Ria wasn't sure who the other girl was, but she could read the fear that the girl was trying to hold back. She looked like a good breeze would knock her over and shatter her. Not impressive at all.

Andy walked over. "Any idea?"

She shrugged. "Something happened. Had to have been bad for Connor to bring them, especially given how he collapsed. That small girl is petrified and trying not to be. Jamie is tense, which is strange given how relaxed he normally is. It takes something big to get him nervous. At least, that's what I would assume. Katie's worried, and using Connor as an outlet. Reyna and Frank seem to be absorbing whatever it was that they were told."

Andy sat beside her. "Assumptions?"

"The girl, she's the cause for the trouble. Unclaimed, most likely, which is why Connor is taking an interest in her. Katie got caught in the crossfire which is why she's here. Jamie…maybe they grabbed him for some more man-power?" Ria frowned.

Andy was quiet.

"What's wrong?" Ria asked.

"Shelly," He said. He didn't need to say more.

Ever since the last group from Camp Half Blood had left, Shelly had been a serious problem. She'd become more irritable, and defensive. Mopey. And she was taking out all of her frustrations and emotions on the guys, especially Andy.

He'd taken to avoiding her, just to be safe.

Jade attempted to run interference, but there really wasn't anything they had found that helped.

"Dagris, if you're done eavesdropping with Gallus, would you care to join the conversation?" Reyna's voice cut through the distance in a partially scolding tone.

Ria felt her eyes widen slightly. Why would they want her? She was technically still on probatio. Maybe it was because she knew Connor, Katie, and Jamie.

Andy's eyes widened slightly and nodded toward the group. "Better get over there."

Ria nodded and headed over to the group.

"You too, Gallus."

Ria glanced back at Andy, worried. It couldn't be good…or maybe it was good that they were being included. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she had assumed.

From closer, Ria could see that this girl was actually around fifteen. Maybe even a little older. She was just so small and frail that she looked like a twelve-year-old.

Pathetic.

Jamie had finally cut his hair, so he wouldn't have to take time to push it out of his face, which would make him even more efficient on the battlefield. He glanced at Ria, then went back to subtly scanning their surroundings.

But she just realized something else.

They were all dressed up…suits and dresses dressed up. Katie and the other girl both had flowers in their hair and were wearing makeup and nicer shoes than the normal footwear used at camp. Connor probably would have looked more dapper if he hadn't ripped a hole in the knee of his pants and his hair wasn't all over the place. Jamie looked like he had just casually walked here in a three-piece suit.

That's when she knew that it was really bad.

"What's up?" She asked hesitantly.

"This is Petunia," Katie introduced the other girl. "She's a daughter of Persephone."

Oh.

Oh damn.

Andy let out a nervous laugh. "This is going to be really bad, isn't it?"

Connor inhaled sharply. "It's about to get worse."

Ria followed his gaze and saw Rachel, the oracle of delphi, was walking slowly toward them with green smoke billowing out of her mouth.

That was how their quest started.

—~~—

Ria rubbed her arm where the tattoo was. "Was that completely necessary?"

Andy showed her his own, he had four lines on his arm. "Every legionnaire has one. It's an honor that you got yours so quickly."

She remembered talking with Frank after having a prophecy spouted out at her. He was technically her half-brother, but it had been kind of awkward. He had told her about quests and helped her figure out a few different things, and tried to convince her that going on this quest with that weak girl, Petunia, might not be a bad thing.

She had no objections to Andy or Jamie going with her. But Petunia?

Ugh.

The only thing that girl would bring is trouble—monsters were targeting her, Hades wanted her dead, she didn't look like much of a fighter, and the girl was terrified practically out of her skin. She didn't have enough fighting spirit.

But she couldn't complain to Andy right now, because Jamie and the girl were also within hearing distance, packing their own bags with supplies.

Katie hovered close to Petunia, whispering.

Jamie seemed stoic as ever, but he was on high alert and kept glancing at his watch.

Andy examined a box for a moment, then shoved it in his bag.

"What's that?" Ria asked.

He shrugged. "Some emergency never know, right?"

"We should get moving," Jamie told them, his voice firm.

Petunia zipped up her bag and nodded to Katie before standing at Jamie's side.

Ria let out a reluctant breath. "You're sure about this, flower-power?"

Petunia frowned slightly. "About as sure as you, Amaryllis."

"Excuse me…?" Ria stared at the girl.

Jamie had a smirk for just a brief second. "Play nice, Nia."

"How's that gonna work? Nia and Ria?" Andy asked, started to lead the way to the exit as if the exchange between the two girls hadn't happened.

"I'm not giving up my name," Ria said firmly. "No way in hell anyone is calling me by my full name."

"You and Andy can call me by my last name," Petunia offered, her expression blank again.

"Which would be?"

"Green."

Andy shrugged. "Works for me."

"What about him?" Ria jutted her chin out toward Jamie.

Jamie arched an eyebrow. "I'll call her whatever I want. Normally, it's Nia. Sometimes it's Petunia. I'm able to differentiate."

Ria rolled her eyes. So the rivalry continues, eh? It still bugged her that she had only beat him once. Well, they'd have to prove who the better fighter was by battling monsters and whatever this thing at the end of their quest was.

Some incredible danger.

They climbed into one of the camp vehicles that they were taking part of the way.

"So, any guesses as to what might await us in Idaho?"

"Potatoes?" Jamie guessed.

"Rhododendron…" Petunia almost whispered.

"What?" Ria asked, completely baffled. What was with this girl?

"Hyssop, Cyclamen, Tansy, Willow…" She rattled them off, not looking at anyone.

Jamie seemed to write them down, maybe to ask about later. "What does Rhododendron mean?"

"Danger," She whispered.

Ria felt herself grow tense. So this girl spoke in flower meanings. That could actually prove useful… "Really? What about the others?"

"Willow means sorrow, Tansy means hostile thoughts, Hyssop means cleanliness, but also sacrifice, and Cyclamen means resignation and goodbye." She defined the plants she had named without even thinking about it.

"Any that stand for warning?" Ria pressed.

Petunia frowned at the seat in front of her. "Begonias mean beware or caution, Oleander means beware as well, and Redbud is betrayal. At least, that's what I remember."

"Okay, so if we ever need to convey warnings to each other, we use Rhododendren for when there's actual danger and Begonia to let other's know that we see something is off. Have some strategy between us before encountering any fights, right?" Ria offered it, thinking it was a good idea to have something that was just a secret between all of them. Something to build comradery, like Frank had suggested. They were going to be fighting together, best to start building some sort of trust.

Petunia nodded firmly. "I can remember that."

Jamie tilted his head slightly to agree.

Andy gave a thumbs up from the driver's seat. "Sounds good to me. But where's our first stop?"

"Well, the prophecy mentioned something along the lines of 'roots of youth', but I'm not sure what that means. Also, it sounded like we had to reach some sort of mountain…" Ria was being vague, afraid of worrying them.

She, Frank, and Reyna had tried to intercept Rachel before she could utter a prophecy where everyone could hear out of concern for Connor's health—he looked like he had been about to pass out, and like one more shock would kill him.

They hadn't expected Ria—a Roman—to be the one receiving the prophecy.

And it wasn't exactly a reassuring one. Knowing that someone would die…and it would probably be Petunia, now that Ria considered it. Or whoever else would die protecting Petunia.

But because it talked about Spring's daughter and the wrath of Hades, it was a pretty safe bet that Petunia was part of this quest.

Jamie and Petunia were staring at her.

"What?"

Jamie had gone pale. "Roots of youth…what exactly did it say about that?"

Ria hesitated. "Delving deep amongst the evergreen roots of youth," She quoted that line, but was hesitant to continue.

"Why did you pick Idaho?" Jamie asked, his gaze cold.

"Because a couple lines later…" Ria bit her lip. "Deep within the Gem State's lands…"

Andy glanced back. "Why won't you tell us the whole thing?"

"Because…" She couldn't think of a response. Give her a fight and she would easily finish it. People? She would definitely need saving.

"Peonies," Petunia murmured.

Jamie stiffened slightly, then nodded. "Guess we need to make a trip to Washington first."

"What? Why?" Andy asked.

"One, because Washington is the Evergreen State. Two, because that's where I used to live. Roots of youth. I'm a son of Hebe. Couldn't mean much else," He muttered and turned to look out the window.

Ria noticed that the flowers Petunia had in her hair were wilting, rapidly wilting. If flowers reflected the girl's mood…

"Washington it is, then. Right Ria?"

"Right, best to follow any lead." She felt a knot of worry growing in her stomach. She was the youngest one there, yet it was her quest. She wouldn't choke under the pressure…but her choses could decide who would die…

And that poor person would die in Idaho, of all places.


	8. The Bridge is Out

Andy hated the bus. Absolutely hated it. It smelled like hot dogs and B.O.

Washington?

Hated it more.

The four of them were honestly expecting to get slaughtered the moment they stepped on the bus, but the senior citizens were fairly docile thus far. Which was a welcome change considering they seemed to be fighting something every two hours or so.

"Almost there," Jamie muttered.

Petunia looked like she was struggling to fight her exhaustion, her eyes barely open.

Ria was gripping her warhammer like it was the only thing between life and death, which it technically was as her weapon of choice.

"It's strange for such young people to be working in construction," One of the old ladies said.

"We're doing volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, we wanted to help our community and our parents like that it looks good on our college applications," Petunia answered smoothly, which was surprising given how tired she seemed.

It was a smart answer and he saw Ria nod her approval of the answer.

"Oh how nice, and to do so with your boyfriends!"

Andy almost gave them away, choking on the water the old people had so nicely given all of them.

"Yeah, well, we wanted to do some volunteer work too and if we went with them we could make sure they didn't hurt themselves, they spent most of the time helping demolish a shed and transplanting Begonias or something." Jamie spoke calmly, looking at Petunia quizzically as if actually asking what they had been planting.

She gave a little smile and nod. "And they spent most of their time doing heavy lifting. Thankfully my dad had some tools we could borrow otherwise they would have been short."

Andy admired the way they unraveled a story that was believable without a thought and managed to warn him and Ria not to disagree with the old lady. Once he considered it, it did make sense to just let her fabricate a story of her own. Easier to forget.

Ria stretched. "What were you doing today?" She asked the old lady.

"Oh, we went to a bingo tournament! I won a gift certificate to a great bakery, and a coupon book! Oh, but do you think you kids could use these ones? I don't think I would…" She had pulled out a few pages as she spoke, and showed them to Andy, who was closest.

He glanced over them, one was for snacks at gas stations, the other three were for clothing stores. "Yeah, if you don't want them we could probably use them."

"Then take them. You kids have been lovely to chat with. It's so nice to see such conscientious young people! And such lovely couples too!" She smiled benevolently at them.

Petunia blushed.

Ria somehow conjured up a grateful smile in return and beamed at the old lady. She had a nice smile, but she didn't show it often, since more often she was smirking or fighting. "Thank you, we really are grateful for the lift."

"Here we are, kiddos," The driver called out in a sing-song voice as the bus halted.

They got up casually, as if it didn't hurt like heck, and thanked everyone again before getting off the bus and waving goodbye to it.

"That was what? Forty minute ride?" Ria asked, bouncing on her toes, presumably to warm up her muscles again.

Andy glanced at his watch and nodded. "Nice to sit down for a while. How much money do we have left?"

Petunia checked their stash, which she had volunteered to carry. Everyone kept ten bucks on them, just in case, but she held the bulk of the money. "About sixty, plus the forty each of us have, so about a hundred."

Andy nodded. "We should probably grab some food."

"Where are we headed?" Ria asked Jamie.

He sighed and nodded to what Andy instinctively judged to be a northward direction. "That way. Here's to hoping that we're totally wrong and there's nothing here."

"Anemones," Petunia murmured.

Andy didn't have the energy to question her habit of speaking in flowers, especially since Jamie usually understood what she meant and it was usually something like encouragement for him, or trying not to completely express her concerns.

Ria nodded a bit. "Then let's get moving. I don't want to wait for monsters to walk up to us." She started in that direction, waiting momentarily for Jamie to fall into step with her.

Which left Andy walking beside Petunia.

She darted a glance at him. "You're determined."

He blinked a couple times. "Um…I guess so."

"Driven," She added.

He glanced around, remembering that they should be wary of their surroundings. "I suppose."

"Flax?" She asked.

"Um…no thanks?"

She looked confused, then shrugged a little. "Thrift."

Andy just shook his head, thoroughly confused. It didn't help that he knew even Jamie didn't completely understand her and she could go all day speaking in code. They had speculated that it was a defense mechanism for her.

She shoved him to the side and swung her sword up and through a monster that had jumped out at them. "Pay attention."

He quickly looked around, then realized it had just been the small one that had come to attack them and nodded his thanks to her.

Jamie and Ria looked back, both surprised as well.

"Strange for a monster that small to attack so many of us," Andy muttered. "Be on the look out for something bigger."

"What was that, anyway?" Ria asked, frowning.

Andy shook his head. "Didn't get a good look. Somethign green. Better keep moving."

Jamie nodded sharply and walked quickly forward. "When we get there, don't be too surprised if we get a really cold reception."

"Where exactly are we going?"

"My grandfather's house," Jamie offered the information with reluctance in his voice. "He's…well, he's Mennonite."

Andy winced. "That's…really rough, dude. Especially since you were born…"

"I was adopted," Jamie hastily said. "My parents just…well, they didn't know what to do with me. Especially once the monsters started. Then my parents died in a mysterious way thanks to a hydra. Rumors spread quickly. I would have been shunned if I hadn't run away. My grandmother passed shortly after. My grandfather made it clear that I wasn't welcome."

Ria winced. "Harsh."

"Necessary," He replied. "I'd rather he be able to continue his life than lose everything because of me. It's their way. They way he's always known. To change now could be hard on his health. Either way, there's this creepy old barn where the monsters always seemed to come from. I didn't think much of it back then, but since we're heading back to my home…"

"Can't hurt to look," Andy agreed. He could tell that Jamie was doing his best not to overthink what seeing his grandfather again could mean. That he had decided that his grandfather was better off without him around and going back wasn't something he looked forward to.

He glanced back, frowning slightly. "We need to move faster."

The others nodded and broke into a jog, following Jamie down a few streets and then into a corn field.

The corn seemed to be whispering around them as they hurried through, and it gave Andy the creeps.

Finally they broke out of the field and onto a dirt road.

Ria clucked her tongue. "We need to rest."

Andy nodded, readying his sword, just in case, and then crouching a little to get what rest he could. It was going to be a long day if they had to fight for every step.

—~~—

Andy groaned and rolled his shoulders. "Geez oh Pete, we need to send a troop up here and clear some of these suckers out."

"No kidding," Jamie muttered, wiping off his sword. "Won't be much farther. We can rest at the bridge."

"The bridge is out, kid," A gruff voice said behind them.

They whirled around to see a bearded, old man in overalls and a straw hat.

"Bridge went out two years ago, during a flood," The man continued.

Petunia murmured something about willow.

"We'll find another way across," Jamie said, his gaze on the ground.

Ria seemed to understand at the same time as Andy that this man must be Jamie's grandfather.

"Why would you do a stupid thing like that?" He asked, looking critically at Jamie.

Jamie looked somewhat surprised. "Why would you go against tradition and law to talk to me? We have to get across."

"And if I tell you you aren't allowed on my land?"

"How would you stop us?" Jamie challenged softly. "I've done as you wished and stayed away. I have to go to the barn now, and then you will never see me again."

"You weren't shunned, boy. I can talk to you all I wish, even if you have forsaken our ways."

Jamie's jaw set.

"Why don't we let you two talk, while we go look at the situation with the river?" Petunia suggested, looking to Ria for confirmation.

Ria nodded and then all backed away and then tried not to look like they were rushing off.

"Wait, Nia, you stay," Jamie said, grabbing the girl's hand.

She glanced at Andy and Ria.

Ria nodded, and lightly tugged on Andy's sleeve to get him moving again. "Talk about awkward," She said once they were out of hearing range.

"No kidding. Petunia seems good at reading people and situations, though. She has a knack for saying the right things, I think."

"Probably because she spends so much time looking at the meaning behind things," Ria responded, then blinked. "Ugh, I feel like I'm falling asleep standing here."

"We haven't had it easy. I haven't fought this many monsters since the war." Andy looked around carefully as they walked, not wanting to be surprised by any monsters. "I don't think Jamie trusts us alone with Petunia yet."

"I think he needed someone to support him," Ria argued. "He was looking a little defeated already. At least with Green there, he knew someone was on his side. What were the code words again?"

"Rhododendron for danger, and begonia for beware."

"Right. Leading is not easy…" Ria muttered.

They reached the river.

"Oh damn…"

Andy was inclined to agree.

The river wasn't very wide, but it was fast and looked deep. The banks looked unstable, and the river bed looked downright treacherous.

"How much you want to bet that it's cold too?" Ria asked, looking frustrated. Probably already coming up with some sort of strategy to cross.

"Seems likely."

"Hey, Andy, while the other two are away, there's something I need to ask you."

"Go ahead," He said, looking at her.

She seemed hesitant. "If you received a prophecy and knew that someone on your team was going to…"

She knew. Of course she knew. But she obviously didn't know it would be him.

"It would be hard, yes. But it's just the way the cookie crumbles. I would feel bad, probably really bad, but maybe the death was necessary. If it was one person, or all four, I would choose the one person. Not out of dislike for that one person, but out of love for the others. But right now, you don't need to worry about that. You need to worry about how we're getting across the river."

She nodded a little, getting the analytical glint in her eyes again as she turned toward the river, then she pointed. "Is that a rope in that tree?"

Andy followed her gaze. "Actually, it looks like a swing."

"Let's check it out. The others could be a while." Ria set off toward the swing with determination.

He hoped that his words would help her when the time came.

 **AN: One month...I'm sorry, guys. That's all I can say. I've been a bit of a slump with writing, so here's what I've got for you for now. I'm working my way out of the slump, but it's taking time.**


End file.
